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Notting Hill Carnival Is Coming

Posted on 19th August 2016

PHOTO CREDIT - DAVID HOFFMAN PHOTO LIBRARY

Notting Hill Carnival always provides a bit of fashion
celebration - whether you're in the paradise itself or just
enjoying the last of summer, it's that time of year again, so bring
out your vibrant and ostentatious costumes, the sun will be out and
so will your street style!

As the roots of the Notting Hill Carnival are Caribbean from the
early 19th century, embrace the mood and dress the part with a fun
and fanciful outfit. And if you're not heading down, then plan your
own party all the same and still dress up! Aside from Halloween,
there aren't many opportunities to dress up so when you can,
embrace it. Come rain or shine, each year for the bank holiday
weekend at the end of August, everyone abandons their gruff
attitudes and embraces an uplifting, united London community
spirit. All hail Notting Hill Carnival, the two day street party
where people forget their day jobs and enjoy some classic Caribbean
rum. If you've never been to Carnival, then the first thing you
need to know is to never, ever call it by its full name: "The
Notting Hill Carnival" (I've only done so in the title for
something we call "search engine optimisation"). For if you call it
that, you will no doubt be mistaken for an undercover police
officer or an American, and you won't get let in to any of the good
afterparties.

PHOTO CREDIT - RED BULL

It's a time to get dirty, adventurous or just to dress in a
carnivalesque outfit. The music has shifted from steel bands to
all-day electronic raves. In 1973, Lesley Palmer - the man who
started the first recognised carnival committee, introduced sound
systems and live bands to the street party. Now we're looking at 38
sound systems located around the borough blasting reggae dancehall
and garage. After a summer spent beneath the blue skies basking in
the achievements of Olympians, the locals lock down on the chaos
unfolding below them. It wasn't the movie that made the area, it's
Carnival. It was the bohemian characters and rebels of the
community who created the identity that everybody wants to buy
into. Carnival dressing is about costume; it's individualism at its
most theatrical, and encourages the creation of a character through
dress. This is the best thing about fashion; the psychological
affect it has on the wearer. For what is an actor without his
dress? Its part and parcel of establishing a character; for those
of us who don't spend our waking hours on a stage, events like the
Carnival offer an opportunity to find your inner thespian and play
out your own story. Here at Rokit we're all for dressing up, so
take a look at our show-stopping pieces and head down to Notting
Hill on the 28th or 29th August for some guiltless fun and frolics
to send off the summer.

Get The Look

Don't drink too much of the Carnival Kool aid - this is London
town, not Bridgetown. And whilst Carnival is all about parading
around in your #NSFW get ups, it is also a liberating opportunity
to express yourself with a Mount Gay Rum in hand or a banks beer!
Let's just get cultural appropriation out of the way. I hope we
don't need to raise any red flags about Native American
headdresses, bindi's and Rasta hats with pre-attached dreads. Were
better than this guys! Check out our selection below.

As a rule of thumb when accessorising for carnival, more is
good. Statement chains, bold sunglasses, caps, whistles - go for
it! Also a big yes to bum bags, hands free should be your priority,
all the better to wine with no? Prints, primary colours and sparkle
are what carnival is made of, plus a bold outfit will lessen your
chances of getting lost in the sea of people and increase your
chances of being pulled up onto a float.